


When You Least Expect It

by Mcs126



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-05-16 22:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5843233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mcs126/pseuds/Mcs126
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashlyn Harris gets traded to Orlando Pride for their inaugural season and Coach Sermanni decides to throw her for a loop. Hopefully this loop has a positive impact on Ashlyn instead of causing an unwanted distraction. The last thing Ashlyn wants to do is let her teammates down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Five AM

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I had this idea rattling around in my head for a while and just wanted to get it out there. It won't be too too long, hopefully no more than 10-15 chapters? I'm not sure yet.
> 
> Well I hope you enjoy the story and as always, leave feedback and let me know if you're liking it! Thanks guys.

“You’re kidding, right?” Ashlyn scoffs. “This is just some stupid joke you’re playing on me.” Ashlyn pauses and examines her coach for even the slightest hint of a smile, but there’s nothing. She steps out of the office; looks left and right, hoping to maybe catch someone hiding or laughing; still nothing. Ashlyn turns back and sees the stern look on her coach’s face. “Coach.” She breathes.

“No, Harris, I’m not kidding. I honestly think it’s a great idea.” Coach Sermanni confirms.

“No fucking way; not going to happen. No offense, but I’m not living with some rookie.” Ashlyn grabs her bag and heads out of the office.

“Harris, sit down.” Sermanni orders. Ashlyn exhales loudly before turning back and slouching into the chair. “Ali Krieger is not a rookie. She is an extraordinary athlete and she will be a vital part of this team. She has potential and I need you to take her under your wing; show her around Orlando, introduce her to the girls, make her feel like a part of the team. Do whatever you have to do because for the time being, she will be your roommate.” Sermanni finishes. Ashlyn can hear the finality in his voice and knows she can’t keep pushing him back on this one.

“Fine.” Ashlyn mumbles. “She better not be a princess or something.” Ashlyn rolls her eyes at the thought.

“And if she is, you’ll make it work.” Sermanni states, obviously becoming tired of Ashlyn strong-arming him.

“Where has she been anyway, if she hasn’t been playing in the league?” Ashlyn inquires, knowing she’ll need to know something about the girl.

“She’s been playing in Germany with 1. FFC Frankfurt and she lead them to a number of titles; she’s good Ashlyn, very good. She’ll be your right back and you will need to learn how to work well with her, but I don’t foresee a problem with that and I certainly don’t want to find out about any problems that might arise. Keep it professional and do your job on this team; be a leader.” Sermanni orders once more and Ashlyn nods, finally understanding just how serious her coach is about this little arrangement.

“No problem, coach. You can count on me.” _I guess,_ Ashlyn finishes in her head, not wanting to frustrate him further. Ashlyn gets up and puts her hand out for her coach to shake, which he does with an appreciative smile. Ashlyn picks up her bag again and starts to leave.

“One more thing.” Ashlyn stops cold and slowly turns around, raising her eyebrows and grimacing all at once. “You’ll be picking Krieger up from the airport tomorrow morning.” He pauses and smiles almost menacingly, “Bright and early.” Ashlyn groans, knowing immediately that her plans for the night might not come to fruition.

“How early are we talking here, coach?” Sermanni smiles more and Ashlyn knows he’s not about to say any time after seven am.

“Five am, and I will know if you send someone else in your place, so don’t even think about it.” _Fuck, there goes calling her a cab,_ Ashlyn thinks.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’ll be there at five am to pick up my new _roommate._ ” Ashlyn swallows down the words she really wants to say and gives her coach a weak smile before finally escaping his office. She quickly makes her way out of the building and out to her car before pulling out her phone and calling her best friend, Niki.

“What’s up, Ashy?” Niki answers.

“Don’t fucking call me that, Cross. You know I hate it.” Ashlyn puts the phone on speaker before putting it in the passenger seat while driving home.

“Relax, cranky. That’s the point!” Niki exclaims.

“Whatever. Listen, remember when I said I would never have another roommate again until it was a serious girlfriend or something?” Ashlyn recounts.

“Yeah, of course. You were upset about my trade to Houston though, I didn’t really take it seriously.” Niki muses.

“Okay, but I was serious. You are probably the only person I can stand for more than a few hours at a time, except Whit, and I definitely was upset about the trade, but that’s not the point here. The point is I am about to have a roommate that I don’t even know at all!” Ashlyn shouts, finally able to voice her true feelings about the situation she has found herself in.

"Are you trying to tell me you've been dating someone and they're going to move in?" Niki questions, getting the wrong idea from Ashlyn’s freak out.

 

"What? No! Shut up and let me explain. There's this rookie coming to Orlando and Sermanni thinks it's a brilliant idea to have her move in with me for now, so I can, as he put it, "take her under my wing." She's a fucking right back. Why do I need to take her under my wing?" Ashlyn pauses as she focuses on taking a turn onto a busy road. 

 

"Ash, come on, you know how important it is to have a solid relationship with your backline. Don't be so dense." Niki scolds. Ashlyn knows she's right; she knows her backline is a vital component to keeping the ball out of the back of her net, but she likes living alone and not needing to answer to anyone but herself. Having a roommate will change that completely, especially having one she doesn't even know at all. 

 

"I guess so. I get why he's picking me, since I’m a leader on the team, but at the same time, why can't she just find her own place and I can just plan parties or activities with the team that involve her?" Ashlyn wonders.

 

"Because coach knows you and he knows you won't involve her, at least not in the beginning. If she lives with you, you kind of have no choice. Honestly, this is an awesome plan. Remind me to email him so I can express my approval." Niki laughs and Ashlyn only gets more ticked off.

 

"Why did I even call you, Cross?" Ashlyn spits back. 

 

"Oh, relax. Don't be such a brat. I'm sure it won't last long; once she gets to know you she'll be scrambling to find her own place." Niki stifles her laughter in hopes to not annoy Ashlyn further, which of course doesn’t work. "Where is she from anyway?" Niki asks to quickly avoid Ashlyn's wrath. 

 

"She’s been playing in Germany I guess, with -" Niki immediately cuts Ashlyn off.

 

"Wait a second, she plays in Germany and you had the audacity to call her a _rookie_?" Niki fires out.

 

"Yeah, so what? She's a rookie to the NWSL, that's all I meant." Ashlyn clarifies.

 

"No, no, no. That's the opposite of a rookie, you idiot. She's probably a killer player. What's her name, anyway? I'm going to look her up." Ashlyn can hear Niki typing on her laptop already.

 

"Ali Krieger." Ashlyn mumbles out.

 

"Krieger." Niki sounds it out. "Is that I E or E I?"

 

"I don't fucking know, dude." Ashlyn states, officially regretting this phone call to Niki. 

 

"Oh, it's I before E, makes sense. You should remember that." Niki pauses and Ashlyn rolls her eyes. "Damn, she's wicked good, Ash. She's played there for four years, that's really something." Ashlyn let's Niki continue as she pulls into her driveway. "Holy shit, she's gorgeous too." Ashlyn freezes.

 

"She is?" Ashlyn trills, trying to suppress the excited tone that bubbles to the surface. 

 

"Oh now you're interested. You're an animal. Yes, she is very hot. Do not hit on her, Harris. Coach is trusting you here and if you fuck with her, he'll never trust you with something like this again." Niki lectures.

 

"Don't worry about it. I don't plan on mixing business with pleasure ever again, trust me." Ashlyn continues to grab her things and heads into the house.

 

"Oh good, I'm glad you finally learned your lesson this time. Just give Sermanni what he wants and make Ali feel comfortable." Niki suggests. 

 

"I know, you're right. I'll do my best." Ashlyn finally accepts her fate, knowing she can't change it now. "Thanks for always knocking some sense into me."

 

"No problem. It's what I'm here for!" Ashlyn chucks, knowing there is some truth to that.

 

"I gotta go. It’s going to be an early night for me. Coach wants me to pick up Krieger from the airport at five am." Ashlyn groans at the thought.

 

"Wow, he's really giving it to you on this one. You must have pissed him off royally or something. Just take it in strides, Ash. Call me later. I want constant updates on the new kid. Love ya!" Niki says.  _At least someone's excited_ , Ashlyn thinks.

 

"Alright, have a good night. Love you, Nik." Ashlyn hangs up her phone and slides it into her back pocket. 

 

As soon as Ashlyn opens her front door, she hears the sound of those little paws she loves so much barreling towards her. Within seconds her French bulldog, Biggie, is at her feet begging for some attention. 

 

"Hey little man. I missed you too." Ashlyn puts her things down and picked up Biggie. He quickly starts licking her face and wiggling around in her arms. "Okay, okay. I get it, I was gone too long. Blame coach." Ashlyn puts him down and heads toward the backdoor to let him out. He runs around outside while Ashlyn goes into the kitchen to make dinner for him and for herself. 

 

Ashlyn sits down at the counter in her kitchen and eats her dinner in peace and quiet, fully aware that it might not happen again any time soon. She thinks about how she loves living alone and how comfortable she has become with spending a good amount of her life alone. She goes out and comes home when she wants to, she throws parties on her schedule, and she brings women home without worrying about what anyone will say or do. She knows she has it made and has always been grateful for that. 

 

Then Ashlyn remembers the times that weren't all that great. She remembers being constantly alone and how the silence can be almost deafening. After a tiring practice or a tough loss, sometimes it's nice to come home to an empty house, aside from Biggie, and just decompress, but more often than Ashlyn is willing to admit, she comes home and only feels worse. She slowly realizes that she might not hate having a roommate again. Having someone to talk to and hangout with when no one else is around might just be a welcomed change in Ashlyn's life. She thinks, somewhat reluctantly, that the two could even get along well and become friends, but she pushes those thoughts from her mind more quickly than they had come, knowing all too well how often people have come into her life only to eventually disappoint her.

 

Nevertheless, Ashlyn moves through her house that night, imagining what it would be like to have someone else there too, another body in the house to keep the loneliness at bay, and she comes to realize that it doesn't seem all that bad after all.

\--

The next morning, Ashlyn pulls into the parking garage of the airport feeling barely human. She had made the mistake of looking up Ali’s stats before going to bed and fell into a downward spiral of watching match after match until she finally passed out around two am. She couldn’t deny Ali had skills and she could certainly see why Niki brought up her looks in the first place; Ali Krieger was drop dead gorgeous, it was almost distracting. Ashlyn quickly shakes those thoughts from her head as she roots herself by baggage claim to wait for Ali to appear. Luckily, knowing what she looks like will give her an advantage here, which Ashlyn uses to validate her hours of searching to herself. Not wanting to give away the fact that Ashlyn knows what Ali looks like, she grabs a piece of paper and scribbles out ‘Krieger’ just in time to see Ali walking her way.

“I’m impressed.” Ali states, Ashlyn finally looks at her, immediately confused.

“What?” Ashlyn asks before looking at the piece of paper.

“My name, you got it right, I before E.” Ali gives Ashlyn a toothy grin and stands next to her, facing the slow moving belt, waiting for her baggage to come around.

“Oh, yeah.” _Thanks, Cross,_ she thinks to herself, remembering only because Niki had pointed it out the night before. Ashlyn turns to face the same direction as Ali and takes a moment to study her face while she’s keeping an eye out for her luggage. She looks tired, but Ashlyn knows she’s been on a plan for a number of hours, and even still, she’s beautiful. So beautiful that Ashlyn completely forgets to introduce herself. “I’m Ashlyn, by the way.” She sticks out her hand for Ali, who slides her own hand into Ashlyn’s and smiles warmly at the blonde.

“I know. I did my research.” Ali releases Ashlyn’s hand quicker than Ashlyn would have liked and takes a step closer to the belt once she spots her bag coming toward them.

“Oh. You did, huh?” Ashlyn wonders, accidently sounding more cocky than she intended.

“Don’t flatter yourself too much. I was just on a plane for about ten hours, so I looked up basically everyone on our team, including the keeper.” Ali looks back at Ashlyn and smirks before turning back and grabbing her gigantic bag. She pulls it off the belt without even an ounce of a struggle and Ashlyn is impressed by her obvious strength. She grabs the handle once Ali puts it down and starts toward the door. “Uh, Ashlyn.” Ali speaks carefully. Ashlyn turns back and watching Ali grab another bag, this one about the same size as the first. “There’s one more after this one too.” Ashlyn’s eyes go wide as she imagines fitting all of these bags on an airplane, let alone in the back of her Jeep.

“Is the last one as big as these two?” Ashlyn questions apprehensively. Ali nods timidly as she spots the last one, which is definitely the same size as the first two, if not bigger.

“I just hope these fit in my Jeep. Damn, I know you’re coming straight from Germany, but couldn’t you have shipped some stuff?” Ashlyn takes two of the bags, leaving Ali to take care of the last one and they head outside toward the parking garage.

“Oh, I did ship a lot of stuff. This is mostly clothes and the necessary items.” Ali confirms Ashlyn’s initial nightmare; Ali Krieger is most definitely a princess.

\--

Once back at the house, after Ashlyn fought with the luggage for twenty minutes before Ali came to the rescue and managed to fit everything perfectly, Ashlyn decides to give Ali tour of her house; well, _their_ house. _For now,_ Ashlyn thinks. She takes Ali from the kitchen, to the living room, and out the backdoor onto the deck.

“Wow, what a view.” Ali walks to the edge of the deck and admires the ocean that sits just at the bottom of Ashlyn’s backyard. “Coach didn’t say anything about the ocean being right here. I think you might be stuck with me, Ashlyn.” Ali nudges Ashlyn’s arm with her elbow and crinkles her nose up in a smile. If Ashlyn wasn’t so frozen as a result of seeing probably the most beautiful smile she has ever seen, then maybe she would have been able to come up with some wiseass comment back, but she stays silent.

The two stand there for a moment longer before Ashlyn hears Biggie coming from inside the house. She sees Ali turn around, visibly confused by the noise coming from within the house, until she sees the small, but energetic, dog running full speed toward them.

“Oh my god! Who is this little guy?” Ali drops to the ground, welcoming Biggie with completely open arms.

“This is Biggie.” Ashlyn gets down on one knee next to Ali and laughs as she watches the two become acquainted. “Or Bigs, whatever you want to call him.”

“He is literally the cutest thing.” Biggie rolls over onto his back underneath Ali’s hands. “Aren’t you just the cutest fucking thing?” Ali rubs Biggie’s belly, giving him all the attention he is begging for.

“There’s no swearing in this house, Ali.” Ashlyn says sternly, wanting to mess with Ali a little bit.

“Huh? Oh, I said fucking, didn’t I? Wait, no swearing?” Ali questions and looks to Ash, whose lips curl up into a smile before she can stop them. Ali throws her head back and lets out a bellowing laugh before shoving Ashlyn lightly, but just enough to knock her off balance and onto the ground. Biggie jumps up and scurries over to Ashlyn to plant kisses all over her face before she can get up.

“Damnit, Bigs. No need to slobber all over my fucking face.” Ashlyn tries to push him away, but he evades her attempts. Ali gets up and puts her hand out for Ashlyn to take. Once standing, Ashlyn notices a smirk on Ali’s face. “What?” Ashlyn brushes herself off and Ali just chuckles.

“No swearing, huh? Says the girl who just swore twice.” Ali winks and Ashlyn’s heart picks up its pace. “Show me my room?” Ali requests before turning and heading back into the house. Ashlyn follows, but doesn’t waste time letting her eyes wander down Ali’s muscular back and thighs. She shakes her head back forth and snaps herself out of it.

Ashlyn leads Ali to her bedroom, with bags in tow, and shows her where all the extra sheets and towels are in the closet in the hall.

“This house is really beautiful, Ashlyn. Thanks for offering it up to me for the time being.” Ali pulls her bags into the room and turns back to Ashlyn standing in the doorway.

“Offering? Uh, yeah, no problem at all.” _Nice one, Coach,_ Ashlyn thinks. She knows it is just like him to make it seem like Ashlyn was behind all of this. “Well I’ll let you get settled in, I’m probably going to take a nap before lunch, but if you’re up for it we can go out to one of my favorite places for a bite later.” Ashlyn proposes.

“That sounds good to me. I’m definitely going to need a nap; I can already feel the jetlag hitting hard.” Ali yawns and chuckles after, clearly exhausted from her travels.

“Alright, well if you need anything I’m just down the hall on the right. Don’t hesitate to ask.” Ashlyn smiles at the brunette and turns to head to her own room. She doesn’t even bother changing out of her clothes and into something more comfortable before sliding into bed and drifting off into a much needed rest.


	2. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you are all liking this so far! I'm enjoying writing it and I hope to get another update out to you this week. Thanks for all the feedback! Keep it coming!

The next morning, before Ali is awake, Ashlyn decides to call Niki to give her an update. Her best friend had been blowing up her phone the night before, but Ashlyn hadn’t paid much attention to it. For the rest of the afternoon and into the night, Ashlyn and Ali took the time to get to know each other and Ashlyn was pleasantly surprised to find just how down to earth Ali was.

_“You went straight to Germany after college?” Ashlyn asks before taking a bite of her sandwich. After waking up far beyond the appropriate time for lunch, the two had decided to grab dinner and get to know each other; as Ali put it “you know, since we’re roommates and all.”_

_“Yeah, it was kind of a crazy move. My mom was definitely not happy about it.” Ali chuckles as she recalls the many arguments she and her mom had before she left for Germany. “I know she was mostly just worried about me, but we worked it out and now she knows it was the best decision for my career. She ended up falling in love with Frankfurt and visited me a bunch of times.” Ali pauses to pop a chip into her mouth. “Have you ever played outside of the domestic leagues?” Ashlyn nods._

_“I played for Duisburg for a season; it was a great experience.” Ashlyn explains._

_“Oh, we’ve played that team before. What year was that?” Ashlyn thinks back and suddenly remembers why Ali looks so familiar._

_“2012 into 2013. I remember you.” Ashlyn smiles as she sees Ali’s eyes widen._

_“Oh yeah! I totally remember you. That’s wild! We killed you guys.” Ali laughs, remembering the score like and then realizing Ashlyn is a keeper. “Sorry.” Ali looks down, avoiding eye contact with the blonde._

_“Hey, now. We put up a good fight. You guys were just stacked.” Ashlyn throws a straw wrapper at Ali to get her attention and smiles at the brunette when she finally looks up. “You better bring that game to the Pride, Ali.”_

_“Oh you don’t have to worry about that.” Ali finishes off her sandwich and the two head back out to the car. “I just can’t believe we’ve played against each other before.” Ali explains after being silent for a while, remembering the blonde vividly. “A few of the girls definitely had crushes on you by the way.” Ali laughs at the look of surprise on Ashlyn’s face._

_“Only a few?” Ashlyn smirks while pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road while Ali smacks Ashlyn’s arm._

_“Don’t be cocky. It’s not an attractive quality.” Ashlyn looks over at Ali with a raised eyebrow and Ali opens her mouth to say something, anything, but comes up silent and Ashlyn chooses to let it go._

_The two fall into a comfortable silence the rest of the ride home and end the night watching Ashlyn’s favorite movie._

_“You’ve never seen Stick It!? How have you never seen Stick it?” Ashlyn exclaims while starting the movie._

_“I’ve just never seen it, I don’t know.” Ali sits down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and Ashlyn plops down next to her._

_“Well, you are going to love it.” Ashlyn gives Ali a wide smile and Ali laughs at her obvious excitement. The two enjoyed the movie and Ali realizes Ashlyn was right. Ali did love it, but she would never let her know it._

\--

“Finally!” Niki exclaims. “How’s the roommate?” Niki has never been one for small talk, so it’s of no surprise to Ashlyn that she wants to jump right into it.

“To be honest, she’s kind of awesome.” Ashlyn says rather reluctantly. “We get along great and have quite a bit in common. We actually realized we played against each other when I was playing for Duisburg. Not to mention, Bigs adores her already.”

“Well that is not surprising; Biggie is such a ladies man.” Niki notes. “That’s awesome! So you guys have a lot in common, huh?” Ashlyn can practically hear the smirk on Niki’s face and just shakes her head.

“Yes, Nik. There’s your update. Can you stop blowing up my phone now?” Ashlyn heads into the kitchen, tiptoeing passed Ali’s room. She starts the coffee maker and leans back against the counter.

“Oh, come on! Give me a little more than just ‘she’s kind of awesome’” Niki huffs.

“What more do you want? We talked about her family and I told her about mine. We talked about hobbies and - ” Niki cuts Ashlyn off.

“You told her about your family? What exactly did you tell her?” Niki asks; Ashlyn notes the concern in her voice.

“Nothing, really. Just that I have a brother and my parents are divorced.” Ashlyn grabs two coffee mugs from the cabinet and places them on the counter.

“Did you tell her why your parents are divorced?” Niki probes cautiously.

“No, dumbass. That’s a little more information than I think was warranted on the first day of getting to know each other, don’t you think?” Ashlyn rolls her eyes, knowing Niki knows her well enough not to assume Ashlyn would divulge something so personal this early on.

“I mean, I didn’t want to presume anything. I’m glad you’re liking her so far though.” Ashlyn pours out coffee for herself and Ali before walking over to the fridge to take out the milk and cream, unsure of how Ali takes her coffee yet.

“We played each other in the Bundesliga actually.” Ashlyn says.

“Really? Small world. I guess you guys do have a lot in common then. Told you so!” Niki says.

“Yeah, yeah. I guess we’ll just see how long she can handle living with me.” Ashlyn hears a small laugh from outside the kitchen and looks up to see Ali standing there in an oversized hoodie and soccer shorts. Ashlyn can’t help but take note of just how endearing Ali looks first thing in the morning. “Listen, I’ll call you later, okay?” Ashlyn quickly hangs up before Niki can even say goodbye, not knowing how much of the conversation Ali had just heard. “Morning. I made coffee.” Ashlyn points over her shoulder as she brushes passed Ali and takes a seat at the counter.

“Ah, yes. Coffee.” Ali shuffles over and puts a splash of cream and a spoonful of sugar into her mug, which Ashlyn takes note of for next time. “Thank you.” Ali says while bringing the mug to her lips and taking a sip. Ashlyn simply nods into her own mug, trying not to stare at Ali’s toned legs, but failing miserably. “So what’s your schedule for the day?” Ali puts her mug down and lifts herself up onto the counter. “Oh, is this okay? I kind of always sit on counters.” Ali grimaces and starts to hop off.

“You’re fine, I do it too sometimes.” Ashlyn smiles, reassuring Ali that it’s okay. Ali settles back down on the counter and picks up her mug again. “I was going to go for a run on the beach in a bit. You’re welcome to join me, but keep in mind that I am a keeper and distance running is most definitely not my strong suit.” Ali laughs and Ashlyn feels her stomach tighten.

“I’m sure you can keep up, Ash.” Ashlyn swallows hard at the use of her nickname coming from Ali’s lips and she thinks it has never sounded better. “I’d love to join you though. Running on the beach is my favorite and I haven’t done it in years probably.”

“What, no beaches to run on in Germany?” Ashlyn quips.

“Not unless you want to run through hordes of naked people. Plus, there weren’t many beaches by me anyhow.” Ali finishes off her coffee and hops of the counter. “Do you use the dishwasher?” Ashlyn nods.

“I hate doing dishes.” Ashlyn confesses. She gets up and takes Ali’s mug and puts both on the top rack of the dishwasher. “I’m going to change for our run. Meet out on the deck in ten?” Ali nods and heads toward her room.

“I’ll try to go easy on you, Harris.” Ali jibes before disappearing into her room, not even giving Ashlyn a chance to think of a comeback.

\--

“You call that going easy on me?” Ashlyn huffs as she collapses down onto the sand. She attempts to steady her breathing, but fails when she looks up she sees Ali lifting her shirt to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Ashlyn quickly averts her eyes by closing them and dropping her head back down onto the sand.

“Don’t be a baby. That was nothing! Just take a break and we’ll go again.” Ali sits down next to Ashlyn and leans back on her elbows. She tilts her head back and closes her eyes, taking in the rays of sunlight. “This Florida sun is something else.”

“You’re telling me. Why do you think I came back? I can never get enough of it. DC was nice, but I need the sun and the ocean like I need oxygen.” Ashlyn sits up, leaning back against her hands. The two had talked about Ashlyn getting traded to Florida the night before and how it was an absolute no brainer for her.

“I hear you. Germany was definitely an adjustment in terms of weather too. I’m not missing the cold at all, that’s for sure.” Ali admits. Ashlyn can hear a slight change in the ton of her voice and wonders if maybe Ali misses Germany for other reasons.

“Do you miss it though?” Ashlyn inquires as she turns to look at Ali, who was staring back at Ashlyn already. She sees Ali’s jaw clench as she turns back to look at the ocean.

“Germany? Of course I do. This is a huge adjustment for me, but it was time. I needed to be closer to family and join reality again. It was easy to escape from things while I was over there, but I couldn’t run from it forever.” Ashlyn wonders what exactly Ali was running from or trying to escape from, but she decides not to probe any further, hoping Ali will tell her someday when she wants to.

“Well I hope I can make your reunion with Florida and the states as smooth as possible. You’re really going to like the girls on the team by the way. They’re all great people; fun too.” Ashlyn assures Ali while getting back up onto her feet, feeling how shot her legs are already from the first half of their run.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting them.” Ali gets up and bends her knees to do some stretches and Ashlyn follows along.

“I can invite everyone over for dinner the night after out first preseason practice, if you want. We were planning something anyway and at that point everyone should be in Florida and settled in.” Ashlyn offers.

“That sounds perfect to me.” Ali’s face lights up with a smile and Ashlyn immediately sees why Sermanni put so much emphasis on including Ali in team events early on. “Ready to go again? No stopping till we get back to the house!” Ali proposes and Ashlyn groans, knowing already that there would be no negotiating Ali out of that plan. The two take off running again and Ashlyn is certain she will be feeling this run for the next few days to come.

\--

Just a little over a week after Ali moves in, Ashlyn begins to forget what living alone even felt like.

It’s not that she doesn’t miss having the house to herself, because she does, but Ali has come to fit so seamlessly in Ashlyn’s day to day that she barely even notices any changes anymore. Aside from the house feeling warmer and maybe a little cleaner, the only big difference Ashlyn has been able to pinpoint is with Biggie. He has taken a real liking to Ali, especially since she has taken him on a walk to the dog park in their neighborhood nearly every morning since she moved in.

One morning Ashlyn wakes up naturally, instead of to Biggie licking every inch of her face. She looks around the room in his usual sleeping places and still sees no sign of the pup. She gets up and heads into the kitchen to grab her protein shake knowing she’ll need the energy for the first team practice later that day. Biggie usually comes running from wherever he is hiding when she opens the fridge, but still nothing.

Ashlyn starts to become concerned when she goes out onto the porch and still can’t seem to spot Biggie. She goes back into the house and lightly knocks on Ali’s bedroom door, which slowly swings open.

“Ali?” Ashlyn whispers. Ali stirs slightly. “Ali?” Ashlyn presses, this time a bit louder. She takes a few more steps into the room when she finally sees Biggie’s head pop out from underneath the covers at the bottom of the bed. “Oh, there you are little man.” Ashlyn pats her thigh and Biggie practically flies off the bed. “Hungry?” Ashlyn laughs as he takes off into the kitchen to wait patiently for his breakfast.

“Ash? What’s wrong?” Ali sits up quickly once she realizes Ashlyn is in her room so early in the morning.

“Oh, sorry. I just couldn’t find Bigs, but I guess he decided to sleep with his new girlfriend.” Ashlyn feigns offense, but quickly smiles at the very sleepy, very confused (very adorable) Ali.

“I must be a better cuddler.” Ali jokes as she swings her legs off the bed and throws on a hoodie, which Ashlyn is grateful for seeing as Ali is only wearing a sports bra and shorts.

“Yeah, right. I’m sure that’s what it is.” Ashlyn says sarcastically as she turns to leave Ali’s room. She goes into the kitchen and feeds Biggie before brewing some coffee.

“You know, it’s not my fault he loves me more now.” Ali walks into the kitchen and pulls the eggs out of the fridge to make breakfast. “Want me to make you some too?”

  
“Sure, thanks. He might love you, but I’ll always be his favorite.” Ashlyn hands Ali her coffee and goes into the living room to watch TV. Biggie runs after her and takes residence on her lap, as usual. “See?” Ashlyn yells back in Ali’s direction. Ali just shakes her head with a smile and continues to cook breakfast.

\--

The two enjoy a quiet morning, the last one before practice goes into full swing, and even take a leisurely walk on the beach with Biggie before heading out for practice that afternoon.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ashlyn asks on the drive into practice, noticing how distracted Ali seemed all morning. Ali doesn’t answer right away, so Ashlyn lightly taps her thigh.

“Huh?” Ali jolts out of her thoughts and turns to Ashlyn in the drivers seat. “Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you were okay. You seem a little off this morning.” Ashlyn’s surprised at herself as soon as the words leave her mouth and she can tell Ali is too by the look on her face. Ashlyn might know only a handful about Ali, and vice versa, but she feels confident in knowing that Ali is at least not her usual peppy self. Ali opens her mouth to speak a couple times before finally settling on something to say.

“I’m just nervous is all.” Ali pauses for a moment before continuing. “Are you nervous?” Ali asks innocently. Ashlyn looks at Ali while they’re at a stoplight and immediately picks up on the sincerity housed in Ali’s eyes.

“A little bit, yeah.” Ashlyn says, hoping to comfort Ali in some way. “You’re going to kick some serious ass though, Al. You’re going to do great.” Ashlyn reaches over and squeezes Ali’s hands reassuringly and notices Ali visibly relax at the contact. She smiles gratefully at Ashlyn before turning to look out the window.             Ashlyn pulls her hands back onto the wheel just as the light turns green and they continue on their way to the sports facility.

\--

Ashlyn walks into the locker room drenched in sweat and completely exhausted from practice. Sermanni had her stay later for extra drills and she was really feeling the added workout. She strips down as soon as she gets into the shower stalls and turns the water to near freezing, hoping to bring her body temperature back down to normal.

After she’s rinsed off every possible piece of grass from places grass should never be, she turns off the water and steps out of the stall, not even bothering to pull a towel around her body since she’s sure everyone else is long gone. As she turns out of the shower she collides with another body getting out of the shower adjacent to hers.

“What the hell?” Ashlyn screeches as she grabs onto the persons arms to steady both of them on the slippery floor. Ashlyn finally takes a moment to focus on the person in front of her.

“Ali? What are you still doing here?” Ashlyn quickly grabs a towel hanging beside her and wraps it around her body, even though she’s sure Ali has seen just about everything at this point.

“Sorry! You’re my ride, so I went to the gym to do some extra drills until you were finished.” Ali explains while looking down at her feet, too embarrassed to look anywhere else. Ashlyn chuckles at the bright shade of pink overtaking Ali’s cheeks. Ali jerks her head up and glares at the blonde before huffing and turning to walk out of the shower area. Ashlyn shrugs and walks out after her.

“So how was practice for you?” Ashlyn asks as she pulls clothes out of her bag to change into.

“Oh, uh.” Ali pauses, still distracted by what had transpired moments before. “It was great. I felt really strong out there.” Ali continues to keep her eyes off of Ashlyn as she changes into fresh clothing.

“That’s awesome, Al. How were the girls? I’ll kick their asses if they gave you a hard time at all.” Ashlyn jokes, trying to ease the tension. Ali finally looks up at Ashlyn and flashes her a sincere smile, most likely thankful that Ashlyn isn’t making the situation more embarrassing than it needs to be.

“No, they were wonderful and very welcoming. They’re all really excited for tonight.”

“Shit. I totally forgot about tonight. Mind if we stop at the liquor store on the way home?” Ashlyn throws her bag over her shoulder and steps closer to Ali. Technically it’s still preseason, so a little fun and drinking won’t hurt them.

“No problem. We can just order pizza too; can’t go wrong with pizza.” Ali offers as she pulls on a hoodie that Ashlyn recognizes immediately.

“Excuse me, hoodie thief.” Ashlyn smirks down at the brunette and pulls on the strings of the hood, tightening it around Ali’s head.

“Hey!” Ali squeals as she pulls the hood off her head and punches Ashlyn on the arm. Ashlyn winces at the contact. “Oh, sorry! You must be really sore.” Ali says while apologetically rubbing Ashlyn’s arm where she punched her.

“No worries, hoodie thief.” Ashlyn winks at Ali and heads out of the locker room.

“Oh shut up, it was an accident; not my fault you put your laundry in with mine all the time.” Ali says while trailing behind the keeper.

“Well you’re always doing laundry, Princess.” Ashlyn jokes as she gets into her Jeep.

“Did you just call me Princess? Please,” Ali exaggerates, “if anyone is a Princess, it’s you.”

“Me?” Ashlyn dramatically grabs her chest, taking both hands off the wheel. Ali’s eyes go wide as Ashlyn’s Jeep slowly drifts to the right in the parking lot. “Relax, Princess.” Ashlyn laughs as she puts her hands back on the wheel. Ali glares at the side of Ashlyn’s head and crosses her arms over her chest. “Are you really trying to prove to me that you’re not the princess here by pouting? Because that isn’t going to help your case.”

“Just drive.” Ali puts her hands back down against her thighs and glares at Ashlyn, who can’t help but notice how adorable an angry Ali is.

“You’re cute.” Ashlyn blurts out without thinking first. _Take it back, take it back,_ she thinks, but it’s too late because Ali’s cheeks are already pink and she won’t make eye contact with Ashlyn. She knows better than to flirt with teammates; she’s learned that lesson one too many times before. There’s just something about Ali that is charming and enticing and it is seriously blurring Ashlyn’s judgment on the matter. Ashlyn decides to pretend like she didn’t just tell Ali she is cute and continues driving.

\--

The two walk into the liquor store and go separate ways to make the trip quick since their teammates will be arriving at the house shortly. Ashlyn goes straight to the beers to pick out her favorites and a couple others that were requested by the girls on the team. She wanders over to the wine, assuming Ali is still deciding and might need some help, but as soon as she rounds the corner, she sees Ali talking to some guy Ashlyn definitely doesn’t recognize. She’s about to turn around to give Ali some privacy when Ali calls her over.

“Ready to go, babe?” Ali asked with an almost shaky voice. Ashlyn steps closer to Ali and finally reads the look of ‘help me’ plastered on Ali’s face.

“Uh, yeah.” Ashlyn stutters out as Ali wraps an arm around Ashlyn’s waste and pulls her close. She looks up and smirks unconsciously at the look of surprise on the guys face. “Let’s go.” With an arm around Ali’s shoulders, Ashlyn pulls her toward the front so they can get out of there quickly.

“Nice meeting you, Zack.” Ali says over her shoulder, without even turning around. The two checkout in silence and Ali quickly grabs her wine and heads out into the parking lot with a confused Ashlyn trailing behind.

“Care to explain what the hell that was about?” Ashlyn asks as soon as they get into the car. “Babe?” Ashlyn says laced with sarcasm.

“I’m so sorry. He wanted my number and just wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Ali reaches over and squeezes Ashlyn’s bicep. “Thanks for going along with it. That would have been so awkward if you hadn’t.” Ashlyn looks down at Ali’s hand on her arm and feels her mouth go dry. Ashlyn just nods and reaches out to start the car, effectively removing Ali’s hand from her arm. _That’s enough touching for one night_ , Ashlyn thinks before pulling out of the parking lot and heading home.

“How come you didn’t want to give him your number? He was a good looking guy.” Ashlyn wonders and Ali shrugs.

“Not my type I guess.” _What is your type,_ Ashlyn wants to ask, but she realizes how quickly that could turn into flirting and she doesn’t want that with Ali, she thinks. She decides right then to keep a safe distance from Ali while the girls are over, knowing how easily she sheds her inhibitions with a little alcohol in her; and right now, her inhibitions are all she has to help keep her judgment intact.


	3. Truth or Dare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! The party! It is long and it was fun to write so I hope you all enjoy it. Hopefully it brightens up your Monday. Thanks for the kind words and feedback. I really appreciate everything you guys say and everyone that is reading!
> 
> Let me know what you think.

Ashlyn is setting up the drinks at the bar in the living room while Ali is ordering the pizza when the doorbell rings. Ashlyn takes a deep breath as she realizes just how nervous she is and doesn’t quite know why. She figures she can just attribute it to the fact that basically the whole team is coming over and she knows how out of hand these things can get sometimes. But something else inside her tells her that maybe it’s a little deeper than that; maybe she’s nervous for everyone to finally get to know Ali. She reaches the door and lets everyone in, exchanging hellos as they filter into the house.

“Ashy!” Lianne Sanderson yells excitedly as she playfully sucker punches Ashlyn in the gut.

“Come on, you know I hate that nickname. Let it die already.” Ashlyn pulls Lianne into a headlock and messes up her hair.

“Not the hair, dude!” She yells before wriggling loose from Ashlyn’s grasp. Ashlyn laughs at the English forward as she runs to the closest mirror to fix her hair.

“Toni!” Ashlyn pulls the defender into a bear hug. “I thought you weren’t going to make it tonight!”

“I got in earlier than I thought I would so I figured I could suffer through the jetlag, but only for one of your parties.” Toni Pressley smiles at the blonde goalkeeper as she continues on into the house. “Where’s this right back I’ve been hearing so much fuss about?”

“She’s in the kitchen ordering the pizza. I’ll introduce you.” Ashlyn leads Toni into the kitchen and sees Ali hang up the phone before getting her attention. “Al, this is Toni Pressley, she’s a fellow defender.” Ali smiles brightly at Toni and quickly crosses the room to shake Toni’s hand.

“I’m so happy to meet you! Ash has told me a lot about all of you, but I’m excited to get to know everyone for myself.” Ali smiles at Ashlyn as she mentions her name, but quickly turns her attention back to Toni. “I’m going to say hello to everyone. Find me later though; we’ll talk!”

“So, _Ash_ , what’s new?” Toni asks with a smirk on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. Ashlyn rolls her eyes and crosses the kitchen to take the glasses out of the cabinet.

“Don’t even, Pressley.” Ashlyn says, knowing Toni is searching for something. “Say what you want to say.”

“Oh, I have nothing to say. I just thought I’d try out that cute little nickname. I mean, I’ve know you for years and I’ve never called you Ash. You’ve always reserved that one for the closest people in your life.” Toni grabs half of the glasses from Ashlyn to help her bring them into the living room.

“You know that’s not true. Anyone can call me that; I couldn’t care less.” Ashlyn explains, but knows Toni won’t buy it because she’s right. Ali said it one day and it just stuck around; Ashlyn didn’t have much of an opportunity to tell her otherwise, nor did she really want to.

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say, _Ash_.” Toni winks and heads into the living room while a flustered Ashlyn trails behind.

\--

A couple hours into the party and Ashlyn is nursing her third drink, forgetting all about her decision to stay away from alcohol. That plan went out the window quickly once Ashlyn noticed how friendly Lianne and Ali seemed to be getting. She excuses herself from the group and takes Biggie outside and sits down on the stairs of the deck. After a few moments, she hears the sliding door open as someone walks out to join her.

“Hey.” Ashlyn turns and nods at Alex Morgan with a smile.

“Hey, Lex.” Ashlyn says and then takes a long sip of her drink to finish it off. “Thanks for coming tonight.” Alex had become one of Ashlyn’s closest friends over the years of playing together for various clubs. Back in 2011, the two played together on Western New York Flash and their team was unstoppable. From then on, Ashlyn and Alex had always kept in touch and once news broke of an expansion team in Orlando, the first call Alex made was to Ashlyn. The chance to play together again and play for clubs close to home, as well as near family, was one neither could ever pass up. Thankfully it all worked out for everyone and Ashlyn feels more than confident in the team’s ability to dominate the standings.

“Of course, Ali really is as awesome as you described. She’s definitely getting along well with everyone.” Alex greets an excited Biggie and scratches his ears before taking his toy and throwing it.

“Yeah, seems like it. I’m glad everyone likes her; coach will be happy to hear that.” Ashlyn says quickly.

“Is everything okay with you?” Alex asks, turning her whole body to face Ashlyn. “You seem a little distant and normally, especially at parties, you’re the loudest one in the room.”

“I’m just exhausted honestly; tough first practice.” Ashlyn turns to look at Alex and she can read the concern written all over her face. “I’m fine, Alex, really. I appreciate you checking in on me though.” Alex pulls Ashlyn into a hug and holds her tight with her arms around Ashlyn’s shoulders. Ashlyn wraps her arms around her waist and squeezes the forward.

“Can’t breathe, Ash!” Alex squeals before Ashlyn finally lets go with a laugh. “Asshole.” Alex pushes Ashlyn’s shoulder lightly. “Are you sure there isn’t something else bothering you? I kind of saw how you were looking at Lianne and Ali. Anything going on there?” Ashlyn’s eyes widen and she takes a deep breath before looking down at her hands.

“I don’t know, Lex. There’s something about Ali that I can’t quite put my finger on, but she draws me in. I don’t want to be attracted to her, but I can’t seem to shut it off, ya know?” Ashlyn looks up at Alex and sees her nod in understanding. “I feel like I barely know her, but at the same time I feel like I always have.” Ashlyn shakes her head. “It’s stupid. Nothing can happen between us anyhow, plus I don’t even know what she’s attracted to.”

“When has that ever stopped you?” Alex quips, but Ashlyn only glares at the striker. “Sorry, continue.”

“She’s my teammate, Alex, our teammate. I’ve fucked up with teammates in the past and I’m really not looking to do it again. I just can’t help but feel jealous when I see her getting all friendly with Sanderson because I know how she is with girls.” Ashlyn admits.

“What? Like you?” Alex says and Ashlyn nods somewhat reluctantly. “Look, Ali is a great player and I am more than excited to have her on the team, but she’s also not careless, from what I can tell. She’s a professional and she seems like she knows how to keep things from getting personal. Just give her the benefit of the doubt and hopefully she’ll surprise you. Lianne, on the other hand, well she’s always a little bit of a wild child, but I’ll keep an eye on her.” Ashlyn smiles appreciatively at Alex.

“Thanks. I’m sure I’m just overreaching about my own little crush; I’ll get over it.”

“You know what they say; to get over someone, you might just have to get under someone else instead.” Alex chuckles while getting up and puts out her hand for Ashlyn to take.

“Oh, are you offering?” Ashlyn smirks while taking her hand and getting up off the stairs.

“Oh, fuck off. I don’t think Serv would like that all too much, but we’ll see.” Alex winks at the keeper and walks toward the house. “Come on, Sarah wants to play truth or dare and I need you in there for support.”

“Truth or dare? Are we in middle school? Jesus.” Ashlyn rolls her eyes. “Come on, Biggie!” Ashlyn holds the sliding door open for Biggs as he flies into the living room and happily runs from person to person for constant attention.

\--

“Alright! Is everyone here?” Sarah yells, obviously the only one excited to play. “Great, truth or dare time!” Everyone takes a seat around the living room and Ashlyn grabs a beer for herself and Alex before getting tugged down into her seat on the couch next to Alex, who quickly takes the beer and drapes both legs over one of Ashlyn’s. Ashlyn looks at Alex incredulously while the brunette just smiles and shrugs. It’s not unlike Alex to get comfortable with Ashlyn, but Ashlyn can tell immediately that Alex is playing some type of game and that maybe, just maybe, she’s trying to gauge where Ali’s mind is at, to see if she can try and make her jealous. Ashlyn doesn’t _like_ the idea, but she also isn’t about to stop Alex when she has her mind set on something.

The group forms some kind of a circle and Ashlyn scans the room quickly. She looks directly across from her and notices Ali looking back at her with a slightly furrowed brow. Ashlyn smiles warmly and Ali smiles back, only she notices a slight blush takeover Ali’s cheeks. _Interesting, probably just the alcohol_ , Ashlyn thinks.

The game starts off slow, mostly truths and not nearly enough dares, which Ashlyn thinks she is thankful for, hoping her house makes it out of the night unscathed.

“Ashlyn, truth or date.” Toni asks after picking truth and having to tell her most embarrassing dating story. Ashlyn groans and thinks for a second. Toni was already hinting before about noticing something going on between her and Ali, so she decides that truth might not be the best option for her at the moment.

“Dare.” Ashlyn says and a devilish grin forms on Toni’s face, making Ashlyn regret her decision immediately.

“I dare you,” Toni pauses and looks around the room. “To do a little strip tease.”

“Toni! I am not stripping.” Ashlyn shakes her head wildly.

“Fine, just take off your shirt then.” Ashlyn leans forward and pulls her t-shirt off before settling back into the couch.

“Done.” Ashlyn says while she looks across the room and notices Ali looking at her, but she’s definitely not looking anywhere near her face. She watches as Ali’s eyes scan down her bare torso, lingering as she noticed the ink on her side, and Ashlyn smiles knowingly. “Ali.” Ashlyn sees Ali’s head pop up and her eyes go wide. Ashlyn raises her eyebrows, smirking at the brunette, and continues. “Truth or dare.” Ali lets out the breath she was unconsciously holding in.

“Uh,” Ali stutters, “dare.” She says quickly and Ashlyn thinks that maybe she has something to hide by not asking for truth.

“Ali, I dare you to take off _your_ shirt.” Ashlyn can feel Alex laughing beside her and she just flashes Ali a dimpled smile. Ali stands up and crosses her arms while grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulls it off over her head, revealing a large script tattoo on Ali’s ribs that Ashlyn hasn’t seen before. Ashlyn gulps audibly and feels her palms get sweaty. She watches Ali settle back down into the chair, but she’s still trying to get a good view of the tattoo, which has turned Ashlyn on more than she is willing to admit. She hears someone clear their throat and is jolted back to reality. She looks up at Ali, who is now the one smirking, and knows she’s been caught too.

“Nice tat, Ali.” Lianne says in a low voice from her seat next to Ali and Ashlyn’s eyes dart to the shorthaired girl. Ashlyn feels Alex tug on her elbow, effectively pulling her attention away from the exchange across the room. She can hear their conversation continue, but Alex is looking her dead in the eyes and she knows she needs to calm down or the rest of the room is going to realize something is up.

The game continues and a few other girls loose various articles of clothing or have to tell the truth about crushes or embarrassing stories. It’s Alex’s turn now and Ashlyn can tell she has something up her sleeve.

“Ali, truth or dare?” Alex says and smiles at the defender.

“Truth.” Ali says with a sigh, knowing she’s likely to be asked a tough question, being new and all.

“I’m going to ask the room for a show of hands, who thinks I should get to ask Ali three questions since she’s a newbie.” Alex looks around and immediately hands start popping up and Ali groans. Alex looks at Ashlyn and nudges her in the ribs to get her to put her own hand up, albeit reluctantly.

“Traitor.” Ali says while looking at Ashlyn. “All of you are traitors, but fine, I’ll bite.”

“Okay, first question. Do you have a boyfriend,” Alex pauses, “or a girlfriend?”

“I do not.” Ali says simply.

“Second question.” Alex thinks for a moment. “And don’t answer this if you really don’t want to, but have you ever had a boyfriend _or_ a girlfriend?”

“Alex, you can’t ask someone that.” Ashlyn says quietly.

“I told her not to answer if she doesn’t want to, relax.” Alex explains.

“It’s okay. The answer is yes, to both. I don’t really label myself.” Ali confesses and Ashlyn feels like her head is about to explode.

“Interesting, very interesting.” Alex says with a devilish grin on her face. “Last question, Ali.”

“Bring it.” Ali narrows her eyes at Alex, daring her to do her worst.

“Since you don’t label yourself, who are you most attracted to in this room?” Alex finishes and crosses her arms over her chest in satisfaction.

“Well, going in for the kill, aren’t we?” Ali laughs and looks around the room. All of a sudden, Biggie flies up onto her lap and gets comfortable. “I guess if I have to pick, I’d go with Mr. Biggs.” Ali lets him leave wet puppy kisses all over her face and half the room laughs while the others find the interaction gross. “Whatever, he’s handsome. You’re all just jealous.” Ali squeezes the little man and Ashlyn watches on with a huge smile on her face, endlessly impressed by Ali’s ability to hold the attention of nearly everyone in the room.

“You can’t pick the dog! That’s just gross.” Alex insists.

“Fine, well if I _have_ to pick, I guess his owner isn’t so bad.” Ali says it so quickly that it takes a second or two for Ashlyn to register with Ali just admitted. _Me?_ Ashlyn thinks and looks up at Ali, who is flashing Ashlyn a smile somewhat different from one she’s seen before. _Uh oh_ , Ashlyn gulps as she feels her stomach transform into one massive knot. Everyone else has stopped paying attention and formed small groups of conversation, but Ashlyn can’t seem to take her eyes off Ali and Ali seems just as enthralled.

“Ashlyn.” Ashlyn turns to see Alex handing her another beer. “You’re welcome. Now go talk to her.”

“Go – ” Ashlyn pauses and shakes her head. “Go talk to her? Are you insane? You just made this the most awkward situation of my entire life.” Ashlyn rubs her hands up and down her face before groaning and walking back outside onto the porch for some much needed fresh air.

“Ashlyn.” Alex calls after her, but Ashlyn keeps on walking. If she is going to make it through this party then she needs to put some distance between herself and Ali, not only mentally, but physically as well.

“Ashlyn.” She hears again.

“Alex, not right now.” She says without stopping. She’s all the way done the stairs and onto the beach before she glances back and sees Ali walking behind her.

“Did you just call me Alex?” Ali questions with a confused look on her face.

“I thought you were someone else. Sorry.” Ashlyn says dryly. She’s not sure why she’s so uneasy with Ali standing in front of her looking at her this way; so concerned and caring. She’s making it very hard on Ashlyn’s already rapidly beating heart.

“Oh, Alex. Right.” Ali says as she looks down at her toes in the sand. Ashlyn narrows her eyes at the brunette, trying to read the expression on her face, but she comes up empty. Ali looks back up after a second and gives Ashlyn a weak smile. “My family calls me Alex, you know. Always have, so I just thought – ” Ali shrugs her shoulders and turns to walk toward the water. Ashlyn watches her for a moment before following behind.

“Hey, that tattoo on your ribs, what does it say?” Ashlyn asks, unable to silence her curiosity.

“It’s a quote from the first German book I was ever able to read. It translates to “One can see good with the heart, because what is essential is invisible to the eye.” It stuck with me and continued to inspire me while I lived in Germany, so I figured it was a tattoo that would adequately represent my time there.” Ashlyn finds herself watching the way Ali’s lips move when she talks as she nods along in understanding.

“Do you think I could see it again?” Ashlyn asks, knowing full well that she is treading on some thin ice. Ali turns toward Ashlyn and lifts up her shirt as she twists her body slightly. Ashlyn reaches out and runs her fingers down the length of the script, feeling every curve on Ali’s ribs along the way. “It’s really beautiful, Ali.” Ashlyn says as she looks up, commanding Ali’s eyes while her fingertips trail lightly down her side. Ali slowly lets her shirt back down, ultimately putting a barrier back between her and Ashlyn. “Do you want to walk a bit before heading back?” Ashlyn wonders. Ali nods and starts off walking along the shore.

The two talk of tattoos and tattoo experiences, which Ashlyn certainly has more of and for some reason, Ashlyn tells Ali all about even her most personal tattoos.

“I have this one,” Ashlyn stops and lifts up her shirt and then her bra slightly to reveal a script tattoo that says ‘Christopher Ryan’ and Ali tilts her head to take it all in. “It’s for my brother. He was all I had for a long time, so I have this so I can always carry him with me, even when we’re on different coasts or in different time zones.

“And this?” Ali asks as she runs a finger along the rest of Ashlyn’s side, referring to her vivid side tattoo. Ashlyn continues to explain every little detail to Ali, from the flowers and butterflies for her Grandmother who practically raised her, to the pieces of her sleeve dedicated to her father; everything comes out as if Ashlyn had intended it to, only she hadn’t; she never planned to let this all out into the open, certainly not today, but its out there and Ali is listening more intently than anyone else Ashlyn has told before.

Ali tells Ashlyn things too, about her brother and how Ashlyn reminds her a lot of him from time to time. She tells Ashlyn about how he suffered for so long and how he was so far gone due to his addiction that he wasn’t even there for her when she was almost died.

“You almost died?” Ashlyn stops abruptly with a hand on Ali arm, stopping her too. Ali nods sheepishly.

“I had blood clots in my leg and lungs after having broken my leg. I mean, this was back in college, but it still gives me constant perspective and reminds me to never take this game for granted. Being able to step onto the pitch and play is something I thought I would never do again, but I made it back and I’m thankful for that everyday.” Ali explains and Ashlyn watches her in awe. Ali finally makes eye contact with Ashlyn. “What? Stop looking at me like that.” Ali turns her face shyly and Ashlyn is stuck by how charming Ali can be.

“I can’t help it. You’re really something, Krieger. Not for nothing, but I’m glad you’re still here and able to play the game, especially on my team.” Ashlyn steps into Ali’s space and pulls her into a hug, taking in the scent she’s come so accustomed to having around her house these days.

“Thanks, Ash. That’s nice of you to say.” Ali hugs Ashlyn back and as soon as she pulls away, she turns and starts heading back toward the house, knowing their teammates will probably start asking questions soon, if they haven’t already. “By the way, was Alex upset that I said I find you attractive?” Ali asks once they’re almost back at the stairs leading up to Ashlyn’s house. Ashlyn turns to look at Ali, but she can’t quite read the look on her face.

“Alex? Why would she be upset about that?” Ashlyn inquires before saying, somewhat under her breath, “she’s certainly proud of herself for getting all that information out of you, if anything.”

“I just thought,” Ali pauses and takes a deep breath, “it just seems like you guys are close, like something is going on between you two.” Ashlyn’s eyes go wide and Ali finally looks at Ashlyn.

“Alex? As in very married Alex Morgan?” Ashlyn says, almost laughing. Ali narrows her eyes at Ashlyn, obviously not appreciating the laugh her concern elicited. “Sorry.” Ashlyn says quickly. “That’s not why she was calling after me or why I had to walk away.” Ashlyn begins to explain until Ali takes a step closer. Now they’re maybe a foot apart and Ashlyn can’t seem to remember how to breathe.

“Why did you then? Walk away, that is.” Ali clarifies.

“I, uh, I guess I wasn’t totally prepared to hear you say that you’re attracted to me.” Ashlyn unconsciously licks her completely dry lips and watches as Ali’s eyes are drawn down by the action.

“I mean, I meant it.” Ali looks back up at Ashlyn and flashes her a lopsided grin. “But I don’t want you to think I would ever try something.”

“Oh, well good.” Ashlyn swallows so hard that she’s sure Ali could here it. “I definitely think it’s important we keep this arrangement as professional as possible, ya know, since we’re living together for now.”

“Right, I absolutely agree.” Ali juts out her hand in the space between them. “To keeping this one hundred percent professional.” Ali’s smile makes Ashlyn’s knees weak and she contemplates throwing caution to the wind and acting impulsively like she would have a couple years before, but she thinks for a moment before sliding her hand into Ali’s and shaking on it.

“To keeping this professional; no flirting or anything.” Ashlyn clarifies as Ali releases her hand and takes a couple steps backwards.

“No one said anything about a little harmless flirting, Harris. Race you back to the house?” Ali turns quickly and takes off toward the deck.

“No fair! You got a head start!” Ashlyn yells after her. She only realizes later, while they’re cleaning up from the party, just how difficult this ‘one hundred percent professional’ thing is going to be; especially the next morning, when Ali comes out of her own bedroom wearing one of Ashlyn’s old UNC t-shirts that she must have stolen from the laundry again. All of this made worse by the fact that Ashlyn can tell she isn’t wearing much of anything underneath it.


	4. Sponge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry it has been a little while. Here's the next chapter! The beginning is a little different from what I'm used to writing, but I hope you all like it. Let me know! Anyway, a bit of a warning here; the chapter contains the topic of drug use and drug addiction, just so you all know. Thanks again for reading! Keep up the awesome feedback!
> 
> Also, I've started a new fic with a different ship. I've found myself deep in the Preath trash and couldn't help, but let this idea take off. I hope you all enjoy my writing enough to take a chance with this new story. Thanks for the support! http://archiveofourown.org/works/6106189/chapters/13995991

Ashlyn is a sponge.

Not because she’s yellow and not because she likes to clean.

Ashlyn is a sponge because for as long as she can remember, when new people enter her life, she has had the (un)fortunate ability of being able to absorb their characteristics as her own.

At age six, a boy named Jeremy moved in next door and the two became fast friends. Jeremy liked skateboarding, so Ashlyn learned how to skateboard and to this day, it is something she loves to do. Jeremy said the word gnarly, so Ashlyn did too. At age thirteen, Ashlyn had a lot of trouble concentrating in class when all she wanted to do was be outside kicking a ball around the field or blocking shots in the net. That was until she met Whitney and everything changed. Whitney was always an excellent student, so once they became friends, Ashlyn’s grades improved as well. Whitney had the ability to bring Ashlyn’s head out of the clouds and she molded Ashlyn into a well-rounded students. At the same time, Ashlyn was able to bring out something new in Whitney. Where Ashlyn lacked school smarts, Whitney had room to give, and where Whitney lacked a free spirit, Ashlyn had plenty to spear. It wasn’t as if Ashlyn’s propensity to absorb traits from those around her was obvious, not to Ashlyn anyway, and for the most part the traits she picked up were never dangerous or negative.

That was until she met Sammy.

Ashlyn had just moved into the dorms at UNC and she was settling in and adjusting to her new life. She had barely spent more than a few days away from home; away from family, and she was struggling. For the first time in her young life, she finally understood what people meant when they said they felt homesick.

It was one particularly dark day for Ashlyn when she was introduced to Sammy. A good friend from the soccer team invited Ashlyn over to watch the game on TV that night and Sammy just happened to be there. The two clicked instantly. Ashlyn, at the time, was unsure of her sexuality and she was constantly questioning herself, but Sammy was confident and sure of herself in every sense of the word.

The two become inseparable. For the first time, Ashlyn had someone who spent as much time thinking about her as she spent thinking about them and it wasn’t long before the two were dependent on each other. Before Ashlyn could realize what was going on, she had fallen in love with Sammy, or maybe it was just the idea of Sammy; to this day, she’s not so sure. After some time, Sammy started going to parties nearly every night and forcing Ashlyn to come along, despite her better judgment. Ashlyn, being a scholarship student, knew she needed to worry about her studies and soccer, but her heart felt full and happy when she was around Sammy, so she never objected to going to parties. Whitney tried her best to get Ashlyn to redirect her focus back to school and soccer, but Ashlyn was too enamored by Sammy and nothing could shake her from the trance she was in.

It took losing nearly everything for Ashlyn to remember who she was.

On a cold night, Sammy dragged Ashlyn out to yet another party, not paying any mind to Ashlyn begging her to let her stay in and study for the final she had the next morning. She had hoped that they would just spend a couple hours at the party and go home, but when a guy came up to the couple and asked if they wanted to buy coke, Ashlyn politely said no, while Sammy hesitated. Looking back, Ashlyn doesn’t remember much of what happened that night, but she remembers Sammy holding a small bag of white powder that terrified Ashlyn more than anything that small ever had before.

This was something Ashlyn had promised herself she would never let into her life and here she was, in a stranger’s house, on a stranger’s floor, in a bathroom, doing lines of coke with her girlfriend who had just told her she loved her. She doesn’t remember much, but she remembers the sound of Sammy’s voice; she will always remember that.

If her relationship with Sammy wasn’t toxic enough, adding drugs into the mix introduced something dangerous, but Ashlyn was far too high all the time to see the damage Sammy had created; to see the damage Ashlyn had let her create. Whitney tried; she tried to make Ashlyn see what she was doing, but it wasn’t long before Whitney saw how much Ashlyn didn’t care, because all that mattered was Sammy.

One day at practice, Ashlyn strolled in rather late and her coach, having noticed a drastic change in Ashlyn’s personality over the course of the season, decided he had had enough; he asked Ashlyn to take a drug test on the spot.

Ashlyn was frozen. She would never pass a drug test and she knew it would result in her being kicked off the team as soon as it came back positive. Finally, after months of being blinded by love, or what she thought was love, Ashlyn realized how damaging Sammy was to her life. Sammy was ruining everything she had worked so hard to create and she was letting her life go down a path she had promised to avoid. Ashlyn broke down in front of her coaches and her teammates and told them everything. As she explained, she realized how many pieces of Sammy became pieces of herself and how much of herself had been tossed aside to make room for Sammy. It wasn’t fair, but it was happening and Ashlyn begged and pleaded with her coaches and teammates to help her get back on her feet, even though she certainly didn’t believe she deserved it. Grateful to hear the truth and see Ashlyn come to realize what was really going on, her coaches and teammates took her in with open arms and promised to help her through what would inevitably be a difficult time in her life.

And difficult it was, but not nearly as difficult as facing Sammy. Whitney forgave Ashlyn instantly; telling her she could never give up on her best friend, and the two went together to talk to Sammy, so Ashlyn wasn’t alone. It took a great deal of time for Ashlyn to revert back to her normal self and for a long time after, she was still noticing parts of Sammy in everything she did. Everyday she would remind herself of how lucky she was to have not lost everything; how lucky she was to have not pushed everyone away. She would never take for granted how close she came to losing herself completely.

Maybe that’s why Ashlyn likes living alone, because she knows how easily she absorbs those around her, turning their characteristics into her own and she knows how dangerous it can be. So when she realizes some of the phrases she starts saying and some of the new mannerisms she’s somehow adapted are similar to some of Ali’s, she’s surprised when she doesn’t seem to mind, not even a little bit.

\--

“Alright, ladies. Bring it in.” Coach Sermanni calls out to the girls doing drill after drill and everyone makes their way to the side of the field. Ashlyn jogs over from her net and finds herself side by side with Ali, who flashes her a tired smile. Ashlyn nods and smiles back before turning her attention to their coach. “Incredible work you ladies are doing. I’m endlessly impressed by your work ethic and your desire to be the best team on the pitch this season. I just want you to know how proud I am to coach such a talented group of women.” Sermanni pauses and Ashlyn takes the opportunity to do what she does best.

“Oh jeez, Coach. Could you keep that sensitive shit for later? Pull yourself together, mate.” Ashlyn winks across the group at Alex who is trying, and failing, to stifle her laughter.

“Can it, Harris. I don’t want to hear it, not from you, the most sensitive keeper I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.” Sermanni waves her off and turns back to the group. Ashlyn snaps her mouth shut, but Ali catches her silence and nudges her with an elbow.

“Sensitive, huh?” Ali notices, smirking up at the blonde. Ashlyn shakes her head and turns her attention back to Coach, not wanting Ali to interrogate her further.

“Anyway, as you know our first game of the season is in two days against Washington Spirit. We fly out tomorrow morning. As always, if anything is hurting or needs to be looked at, go see the trainers. Everyone else, get to the ice baths. Ashlyn, get your shoulder iced tonight if it is bothering you.” Ashlyn nods in understanding. Her shoulder had been holding up well since surgery during the beginning of the offseason, but she knew he was just being proactive about the possible pain from practicing. “Get to it, ladies. You all look good out there on the pitch, now I just need you all to take care of yourselves and make sure you’re mentally prepared for the start of a new season. Be ready to kick ass.” Sermanni finished with a huddle and a cheer before heading to his office.

“So, what was that about being sensitive?” Ali asks as she falls into step with Ashlyn while walking into the building for their ice baths.

“Nothing.” Ashlyn groans. She turns to head toward the ice bath in the far corner of the room, hoping Ali will think she wants to be alone and drop the line of questioning she’s working on in her mind.

“Being sensitive is okay, you know. It’s not a bad thing.” Ali offers as she steps into the ice bath that Ashlyn had lowered herself into, sucking in air all the way down. Ashlyn looks across at Ali, ice coming up just under her sports bra, and she suddenly doesn’t feel so cold.

“Sermanni used to be my coach on an old club team, before the NWSL; we go way back. He was just referring to the time I cried, like, a lot, when he took another coaching job and left my team. He likes to remind me of that often when I give him a hard time.” Ashlyn explains before grabbing her phone and scrolling through Instagram.

“Well, I think being sensitive is an extremely attractive quality in a person.” Ali shares, forcing Ashlyn to look up from her phone. Her wide eyes are met with a smirk on Ali’s face and a wink that sends her heart racing. Ashlyn shakes her head at the shameless flirting that Ali seems to enjoy and forces her attention back to her phone. After a few minutes of scrolling, she notices she has a notification. She clicks on it and sees that akrieger11 has tagged her in a post. It’s a picture of Ashlyn right where she’s sitting now, in the ice bath, with a caption that reads: Ice baths with this one are the best, even if she’s a little… sensitive.

“Ali! What the hell? You could have warned me first.” Ashlyn says, pretending to be mad, but she likes the picture anyway and smiles at the brunette. “So ice baths with me are the best, huh?” Ashlyn asks as she sidles up to Ali. She watches Ali’s breath hitch as the waves Ashlyn creates end up touching skin that had not been exposed to the cold yet. Ashlyn clenches her jaw as she becomes filled with a want that she knows could only be satisfied by making Ali make that sound again, only not in an ice bath.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Harris.” Ali shivers as she lightly splashes Ashlyn. She takes a piece of ice, reaches over and trails it down the length of the back of Ashlyn’s neck, causing a violent shiver to course through her veins, only she’s not sure if it’s from the ice. “That should cool you off.” Ali says before the alarm goes off and she stands to get out of the tub. Ashlyn steps out quickly and grabs two towels and holds Ali’s towel out for her. As soon as Ali reaches for it, she pulls it away, teasing a very cold Ali.

“Ashlyn, give me my towel before I kick your ass.” Ashlyn watches the muscles in Ali’s body contract as she reaches for the towel again; this time Ashlyn puts it behind her back. Ali rolls her eyes at the blonde before looking around and seeing that they are completely alone. She takes one step toward Ashlyn, who steps back and meets the wall. Ali steps one more time, stopping with only a few inches between them. “On second thought,” Ali pauses while she lays her hand on Ashlyn’s chest, “keep the towel.” Ali leans up and ghosts her lips over the blonde’s, being extra careful not to accidently make contact. Ashlyn swallows hard and Ali steps back, laughing. Ashlyn finally takes a breath and tosses the towel to a very amused Ali.

“You know, if you keep doing shit like that, this whole ‘keep things professional’ shtick we’ve got going will fail miserably.”

“What? Ashlyn Harris doesn’t have any self-control?” Ali jokes, already knowing how to get under Ashlyn’s skin.

“No,” Ashlyn pauses, “but two can play this game if you really want.” Ashlyn brushes passed Ali and the two go their separate ways; Ali to the locker room to shower and change, and Ashlyn to the trainer’s office to get a bit of ice put on her shoulder, for good measure. They meet up again outside, where Ali is leaning against Ashlyn’s driver side door, smiling down at her phone.

“Got another creeper shot of me on there or something?” Ashlyn asks as she throws her bag into the back seat of her Jeep. Ali looks up and gives Ashlyn a devilish grin.

“You’ll never know. But no, I’m just on Instagram. People are really loving that picture of you.” Ali turns her phone to Ashlyn, showing her how quickly the picture has grown in likes and comments. Ashlyn notices one comment that is asking if they are dating and her eyes widen.

“People really ask that shit?” Ashlyn wonders.

“I guess so. I don’t mind the speculation though. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for people to assume we’re dating; we’d make a beautiful couple.” Ali winks before pushing off the car and heading over to the passenger side. Ashlyn shakes her head again at the flirting, realizing just how much she enjoys it, but wondering how long Ali can keep it up before Ashlyn takes matters into her own hands. _Professional,_ Ashlyn reminds herself as the two head back home.

\--

It’s halftime and Ashlyn could not feel better about their chances of dominating the league this season. So far she’s been able to shutout the offense, but she has her backline to thank for that. As soon as Sermanni finishes up his halftime speech, Ashlyn decides to address the team as well.

“Guys, I just want to say how great you’re all doing out there. A few of you are brand new to the league and you’re not even showing it for a second. Keep it up. As for my backline, holy shit. There have been countless times already in this match that you’ve kept the ball out of the eighteen and I’ve barely had to do anything. We’re being tested out there for sure, but you’re all stepping up and making smart plays for the ball and I couldn’t be happier. We’re up two nothing, so let’s shift a bit more defensively, like coach said, but keep your eyes open for those opportunities. Great job guys!” Ashlyn says excitedly. The team comes together for a final cheer and they all head out of the locker room through the tunnel.

“Nice speech, Ash.” Ali nudges Ashlyn with her shoulder as the follow behind the team.

“Oh, thanks.” Ashlyn says simply. She looks at Ali and is met with bright eyes and a full smile that nearly melts Ashlyn’s heart. Ashlyn forces her eyes away from the brunette as they reenter the stadium and Ashlyn jogs to warm up on her side of the field.

For the rest of the match, Ashlyn’s eyes somehow always land on Ali, no matter where she is on the field. For the most part, the play stays on the other half of the pitch and Ashlyn only touches the ball a couple of times. She’s thankful to hear the final whistle and heads up the field to catch up with some of her old teammates.

“Ashlyn, great game. You guys were pretty strong out there.” Crystal Dunn says as the two hug.

“Thanks, Crystal. Sorry we had to beat you guys.” Ashlyn says with a laugh as Crystal responds with a playful glare.

“Whatever. We’ll get you next time.”

“Promise?” Ashlyn jokes and Crystal shoves Ashlyn’s shoulder lightly. “Hey, Ali!” Ashlyn calls out as she notices Ali walking by and waves her over. “Ali this is Crystal, Crystal this is Ali.” The two greet each other with handshakes and hellos.

“Awesome job tonight, Ali. I can tell Orlando is lucky to have you.” Crystal offers as Ashlyn smiles at the interaction.

“Yeah, we’re definitely lucky to have her.” Ashlyn comments without thinking, watching as Ali’s face lights up with a crinkle in her nose. Crystal shoots Ashlyn a somewhat skeptical look before inviting Ashlyn out.

“You coming out with us tonight? We’re going to our favorite spot.” Ashlyn immediately gets excited.

“Al, you have to come. This place has the best pizza; it’s a fun time. Please come?” Ashlyn asks and Ali smiles adoringly at the blonde keeper.

“Of course I’ll come. You know I can’t resist a good pizza.” Ali places her hand on Ashlyn’s bicep before telling Crystal that she was happy to finally meet her and she can’t wait to get to know her tonight. Ali jogs away with a tap to Ashlyn’s butt and a wink. Ashlyn rolls her eyes and turns back to face a very surprised Crystal.

“What?” Ashlyn asks, playing dumb.

“So how long has that been a thing?” Crystal questions, pointing between Ashlyn and the direction Ali ran off in. Ashlyn’s eyes go wide.

“ _What?_ ” Ashlyn repeats.

“You and Ali just seem rather close.” Crystal explains and Ashlyn shakes her head.

“It’s not like that, Crys. We live together, Sermanni’s idea, and we are pretty close, but the good friends kind of close. We hardly know each other anyway.” Ashlyn justifies before realizing Crystal is definitely not buying anything she’s saying.

“Sure thing, dude. We’ll see how it goes tonight. If she doesn’t pull you out on the dance floor like I think she’s going to do, then maybe you’re right. See you two later!” Crystal shouts before heading off toward the locker room. Ashlyn walks through the tunnel and into the locker room thinking about how Crystal might be on to something. She barely spent a minute with the two of them and still sees something between them; it just makes Ashlyn think for a moment and she realizes that maybe she should create as much space between herself and Ali to keep any of her temptations at bay.

Just as she pulls off her shirt and walks into the shower stalls, Ali is wrapping herself in a towel, having just finished showering. Ali spots Ashlyn and walks over to the blonde, who is now only wearing compression shorts and a sports bra.

“Hey, keeper. I forgot to tell you how impressed I was with you tonight. I really enjoyed playing in front of you and I’m sure you enjoyed the view.” Ali trails her hand down Ashlyn’s stomach and Ashlyn can feel her muscles tighten at the contact. “Remind me to reward you with something later on tonight, roomie.” Ali finishes and continues on passed Ashlyn, into the locker room. Ashlyn gulps before finally stepping into a stall and breathing again. She had completely forgotten that the two were roommates that night as well; all thanks to coach, she’s sure.

Ashlyn takes the coldest shower she can possibly take, hoping it will cool her down before they go out, but realizing that attempt was futile when she walks back into the locker room. Ali has since changed into painted on jeans and a crop top t-shirt showing just enough skin to make Ashlyn want to see more. _This is going to be much harder than I thought_ , Ashlyn thinks, as she gets dressed for an undoubtedly eventful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I've started a new fic with a different ship. I've found myself deep within the Preath trash and couldn't help, but let this idea take off. I hope you all enjoy my writing enough to take a chance with this new story. Thanks for the support! http://archiveofourown.org/works/6106189/chapters/13995991


	5. Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we go. The moment I know a lot of readers are waiting for. Sorry it took me so long to get this out! I'm working on a few other stories and sometimes one gets more attention than the others, but I promise not to leave you hanging for too long. Hope you all enjoy this one. I didn't do too much proof reading cause I just wanted to get it out there, but I hope it is up to your standards. Thanks for all the feedback and kudos. You all rock!

Ashlyn has always had issues with self-control, which she knows is a horrible trait to have when you’re a professional athlete.

She usually only struggles with it when she’s eating; never really feeling like enough is enough, but having that extra chip or cookie is a lot less problematic than wanting to get high. It’s not something she’s even thought about or wanted to do again in years, ever since being a professional soccer player was a viable career path, but it’s always in the back of her head, always keeping her on her toes. Something always reminds her.

Ashlyn has learned to stay away from alcohol, for the most part. She tries to only drink at home or at friends’ houses, and not out at bars or clubs because she’d like to think she’s not a total idiot and can recognize a pattern when she sees one. After the first time she sobered up, when her coaches and teammates realized the severity of the problem, she went strong for a while. She thought maybe it was just a lapse in judgment; a one time instance. That was until her senior year, during a tournament, when she went down wrong in the final match and immediately knew something just didn’t feel right. Later that night, when she was told that she tore her ACL and MCL in her right knee, she cried for five hours straight, nonstop. She cried until she made herself sick; she cried until she had nothing left.

And then she stopped.

She didn’t cry, she didn’t speak, she barely moved. For weeks Ashlyn might as well have been in a comatose state; she would have probably preferred that to the alternative. Even after her teammates came to visit, even after Whitney stopped by and practically begged Ashlyn to talk to her, Ashlyn just sat there, staring at the wall. In that moment, Whitney knew nothing good would come of this. Of course, she was devastated to lose their keeper, the number one keeper in their division, but she knew, most of all, that she was losing her best friend to the many demons that were undoubtedly taking over. Without soccer or structure of any kind, Ashlyn flung herself into the darkest days of her entire life. Before, she could joke about that lack of self-control. Before, she didn’t feel like such a failure, but in the end, she was a failure and it didn’t matter what anyone said or did, nothing could steer Ashlyn back onto the right path. She spiraled almost immediately, spending all her nights out drinking in clubs or bars, all the while getting her hands on any drug she could even imagine. At first, it was the low-grade stuff; marijuana, sometimes molly, whatever took the edge off, but wasn’t a completely foreign concept to herself or friends who would also dabble in that lifestyle. After some time though, it wasn’t enough. She was back in the tight grasp of that white powder that ruined her life in the first place, only this time, Ashlyn ruined her own life first; so did it honestly matter anymore?

Before Ashlyn even touched the stuff, she remembers thinking that drugs were a way to feel numb. She was under the impression that people got high as a way to escape or not feel anything anymore, but once she found herself in that very subset of the population, she came to realize that maybe that wasn’t quite the case for her. Not the escape part necessarily, because she found that to be true, but the feeling numb part never really made any sense to her. For Ashlyn, being high didn’t mean feeling nothing.

Being high meant feeling _something_ again.

\--

It wasn’t until the NWSL was founded before Ashlyn finally sobered up once and for all. Everyday she is thankful for this league and this sport for allowing her to do what she loves; she’s grateful to be healthy because without all that, she’s not quite sure where she would be. She thinks she’d probably be dead, but she tries not to dwell on that possibility, remembering how easily she fell into that hole in the first place and how finite success can be in her career. It all keeps her humble, that’s for sure.

Only now, as they walk into the bar and Ali is already dragging Ashlyn out onto the dance floor, she’s immediately cursing her inability to have any form of self-control. She turns back and meets the eyes of a smirking Crystal and Ashlyn already knows she won’t live this night down. She snaps out of it when Ali’s hands attach themselves to Ashlyn’s hips and pull her close. Before Ashlyn can get lost in the brunette, she takes a small step back.

“Want a drink? I’m going to get some water.” Ashlyn yells over the music, deciding then to keep it sober.

“Water?” Ali scoffs with a disappointed glint in her eye. “I’ll take a vodka soda.” Ali trails her fingers up Ashlyn’s arm before she steps away. She can feel Ali trailing behind her, but keeps her feet moving toward the bar. She gets the bartenders attention quickly and orders.

“Ash,” Ali’s voice is soft, “why aren’t you drinking tonight?” Her eyebrows are knit together with concern and Ashlyn thinks to tell her everything, but quickly shakes the thought from her mind, not wanting Ali to judge her for someone she used to be.

“Just not feeling it tonight.” She says with a shrug and the look of concern doesn’t really leave Ali’s face, but she nods anyway and takes the drink from Ashlyn when it arrives. They go their separate ways; Ali spends the majority of the night getting to know Crystal and the two hit it off, which keeps Ashlyn smiling from across the room while she catches up with a few old teammates. Ashlyn has definitely noticed the amount of alcohol making its way toward Ali, what with all the guys trying to get her number or get into her pants, who knows and who cares, but Ashlyn keeps a cautious eye on her anyway.

“If I knew any better, I’d think you were screwing the new girl.” Christine Nairn says and Ashlyn practically spits out her water.

“What?” She chokes out.

“Oh yeah, play dumb. That’ll get you nowhere, kid.” Christine shakes her head.

“Who are you callin’ kid? I’m like, 4 years older than you.”

“5, actually.” Christine corrects her and Ashlyn swiftly hits the side of her head. “Asshole.” She says with a chuckle.

“Takes one to know one.”

“Anyway, about Ali, don’t distract me. I want to know what’s going on there.” Christine wonders.

“Nothing! Everyone keeps saying that too. We flirt a bit, but honestly we’re just being friendly and getting to know each other. We’re both professionals first. We want the same thing out of this season; we want to dominate the league.” Ashlyn explains confidently.

“Well, the look Ali’s been giving you all night isn’t what I would call ‘friendly’, maybe a little too friendly; if you know what I mean?” Christine nods over Ashlyn’s shoulder and she follows her gaze to the horde of people dancing. She sees Ali and Crystal dancing together, but Ali’s eyes are glued to Ashlyn. She notices Ali say something to Crystal and with a smirk on her face, she sends Ali on over to Ashlyn. “Oh shit, I know that look. I’m outta here. Good luck, _kid._ ” Christine says and Ashlyn shoves her as she walks away. Truth is, Ashlyn knows that look too; it’s a look she knows all too well.

“Hey, drunky.” Ashlyn says as Ali strides into earshot.

“I am not drunk.” Ali says convincingly.

“Oh? Then what have you been doing with all those drinks guys have been sending your way?” Ashlyn raises an eyebrow and chuckles when Ali can’t come up with anything other than a shrug as a blush covers her cheeks.

“Okay, I’m a little drunk. So what? We have a day off tomorrow and our flight isn’t until later. I’m having fun.”

“You’re allowed to have fun, Al.” Ashlyn says, reassuring Ali that she’s in no way judging her.

“I like when you call me that.” Ali says as she steps closer, placing her palm against Ashlyn’s stomach. Ashlyn looks down at the contact and feels her cheeks burn up instantly. She looks back up and sees the same fire in Ali’s eyes. She gulps loudly, positive Ali heard her by the smirk playing on her lips. “Dance with me.” It’s certainly not a question and Ashlyn’s not sure it was ever meant to be one. She knows Ali to be tentative and cautious and clearly the alcohol is casting all her inhibitions to the wind, but the demand changes something in Ashlyn and she’s the one who ends up dragging Ali onto the dance floor.

The music is loud and Ashlyn can feel the bass all throughout her body, but she’s not sure anything else actually exists beyond Ali’s body pressed up against hers. It’s all consuming and incredibly addicting, a feeling Ashlyn is far to familiar with, but she trains her eyes on Ali and her hands on the skin just below the hem of her shirt and above the waist on her pants. Her body is warm to the touch, igniting the fire already growing low in Ashlyn’s stomach. She’s not sure how much longer she can last with Ali’s lips so close to her own, so she quickly turns her around, but still keeps their bodies glued together. Ali throws her head back against Ashlyn’s shoulder and reaches her arms around to tangle her fingers in Ashlyn’s unruly hair. She thought she was doing herself a favor, switching their position like this, only now Ali’s neck is exposed and the possibility of tasting her is all to real. Ali must be thinking the same thing; because she pulls Ashlyn’s head down so close, she has no choice, but to press her lips to Ali’s pulse point. Ali sighs so quietly and contently that Ashlyn’s not sure she was even meant to hear her.

Ali presses herself even further into Ashlyn, opening herself up to the blonde more, but Ashlyn doesn’t want to take advantage. She knows the brunette is at least a little drunk, but most of all, she’s completely sober and the way Ali is making her feel can’t be excused by being altered like Ali might be able to say for herself when she comes to tomorrow morning. She doesn’t want to stop, but she knows she has to, so she turns the brunette back around. She has a plan; she’ll tell Ali she needs a break and then she’ll head out of the bar and get some air, but when Ali looks up at Ashlyn through hooded eyes and tugs her down by the collar of her shirt, all plans go out the window.

“Take me home.” Ali says with such conviction that Ashlyn knows, again, that she doesn’t have much choice in the matter, and again, she’s the one pulling Ali to the car to get back to their hotel room.

\--

If Ashlyn had thought being so close to Ali while dancing was a struggle, she realizes there is nothing compared to having the brunette just a foot away across the center console with Ali’s hand trailing up and down her thigh, unable to touch her without the risk of swerving off the road. Ali, on the other hand, is free to move around, and when Ashlyn feels her lips pressed just below her ear, she scratches her previous thought and knows that this moment is _much_ worse than the other.

“Ali, please.” Ashlyn pleads with both hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel. Ali hums in her ear.

“I’d save the begging for later, stud.” Ali’s voice drips with determination and Ashlyn groans, as her knuckles turn whiter by the second.

“Just let me get us back to the hotel in one piece.” Ali takes Ashlyn’s earlobe in between her teeth and tugs as she sits back down in the passenger seat. Ashlyn speeds back up a bit, now that she has more control of her own body, and finally pulls into the hotel parking lot moments later.

They get out of the car and head over to the elevator, keeping a safe distance from each other; unsure of who they’ll run into. The elevator doors finally close and despite her better judgment, Ashlyn decides to take control of the situation herself, instead of leaving it all up to Ali. She pulls Ali into her by the belt loop on her jeans and wraps her arms around the brunette, but Ali has a different plan in mind as she pushes Ashlyn back against the wall and wiggles her index finger at her.

“I’m not kissing you for the first time in an elevator.” Ali steps back until her back is against the opposing wall and crosses her arms over her chest. Ashlyn rolls her eyes with a smile, but just talking about kissing Ali makes her stomach flip.

“That’s fair.” Ashlyn nods as she crosses back over until she’s in front of Ali again. She plants her hands against the wall on either side of Ali’s shoulders and leans down until her lips are centimeters from Ali’s ear. “Because when I start kissing you, I’m not going to stop until you’re satisfied.” Ali shivers beneath her and Ashlyn can’t stop herself from pressing her lips to Ali’s neck again. She trails kisses down her neck until she meets Ali’s collarbone. Ali lets out a shaky breath and Ashlyn knows she has Ali right where she wants her when Ali begins to tug on Ashlyn’s shirt, pulling their bodies even closer together. The elevator door finally dings to a stop, letting them know they’re at their floor. Ashlyn wraps an arm around Ali’s shoulder and pulls her toward the doors.

“Coach Sermanni! Hey!” Ali says while nudging Ashlyn off of her and she takes a step to the right before coach finally looks up; thankfully he had been looking down at his phone since the doors opened.

“Ladies.” He says casually. “How was your night out?” They step out of the elevator together, but keep the distance between them.

“Great.” They say in unison and Ashlyn looks at Ali with a shy smile, but Ali doesn’t dare look back.

“I’m glad. Well, have a good evening. Don’t stay up too late.” He smirks at them before pressing the button to the elevator. Ashlyn gives Ali a little push before she snaps back to reality and they both start off down the hall. “Wait a minute.” Coach calls after them and they both freeze right where they are before slowly turning around. “You two aren’t rooming together, are you?” Ashlyn looks to Ali, but quickly realizes she’ll need to do all the talking here.

“Uh, yeah, you put us together.” Ashlyn rubs the back of her neck and watches as a smile spreads across Tom’s face.

“That must have been a coincidence. I was hoping to give you two a break from each other. Sorry about that! Ash, why don’t you come with me and I’ll set you up somewhere else. I’m sure you’re sick of each other by now.” Coach offers. Ashlyn hears Ali groan beside her and it takes everything in her not to laugh.

“Don’t worry about it, Coach. We’re not sick of each other.” Ashlyn assures Tom.

“Yet.” Ali utters and Ashlyn gawks at the brunette.

“Oh, now you talk.” Ashlyn mutters under her breath and Ali just winks at her in response. “Really, it’s fine. All my stuff is in our room anyway.”

“Are you sure? It would be an easy switch. I can make it happen.”

“We’re good, right Al?” Ashlyn wraps her arm around Ali’s shoulders and pulls her against her. Ali freezes at first, but knows Ashlyn is just trying to get their coach off their backs.

“We’re better than good.” Ali looks up at the blonde, hoping to catch her off guard as well. Finally Sermanni nods and turns back toward the elevator.

“Fine then, have a good sleep.” Tom says and Ashlyn wants to laugh, but Ali squeezes her side before pushing her town the hall to their room. They finally reach their door and as Ashlyn is searching for the room key, Ali can’t stop herself from pulling on the collar for Ashlyn’s shirt and connecting their lips. Ashlyn freezes right then, with her hands in her pockets, but as soon as Ali starts to pull their lips apart, Ashlyn quits looking for their key and pushes Ali up against the wall beside their door. A deep moan escapes Ali’s lips and Ashlyn takes the opportunity to trail kisses down Ali’s jaw and onto her neck.

“Ash,” Ali voice is low and uneven, but that only spurs Ashlyn on more as she bites and sucks on the spot just below Ali’s pulse point. She pulls away after she’s confident there will be a spot there come morning. “Bed, now.” Ali finds it even harder to speak than before and Ashlyn grabs the key and the two push themselves through the door and onto the bed as the door slams behind them.

If there’s one thing that Ashlyn’s noticed about Ali on the pitch, it’s how verbal she is and how her voice keeps everyone in line. So she’s pleasantly surprised to find out that this remains true in the bedroom. As soon as Ashlyn uses her knee to put pressure on Ali’s core, she lets out a sign that quickly turns into a groan, pleading Ashlyn for more contact. Not wanting to waste any more time, Ashlyn simply pulls up Ali’s dress, revealing that there isn’t any kind of barrier keeping Ashlyn from where she wants to be most.

“Fuck.” Ashlyn breathes out and leaves a trail of kisses down Ali’s still fabric covered torso. Ali reaches down and pulls her dress up over her head, which allows Ashlyn to press her lips to the warm skin covering Ali’s hip. She stays there, enjoying the way Ali’s hands tangle themselves in her hair and the way her hips press up into Ashlyn, begging for release. She leans back off the bed and pulls off her own shirt and shimmies out of her pants, but Ali wastes no time sitting up and pulling Ashlyn by her waist so that she can leave a trail of her own kisses across Ashlyn’s lower stomach. Heat pools at every spot Ali kisses, making it nearly impossible for her knees to keep her up at this point. Ashlyn reaches around and unclips Ali’s bra, letting it fall off in front of her. She pushes Ali back down and crawls up her body slowly, spending time on parts of Ali’s body she had been neglecting. She closes her lips around Ali’s nipple and looks up just in time to see Ali’s head thrown back into the pillow.

“Ashlyn, please.” Ali pleads and pushes Ashlyn’s shoulders down to where she wants her most. Ashlyn thinks to make her beg; to keep her pleading for more, but Ashlyn wants this just as badly as Ali does, if not more. So she obeys Ali’s demands and finally, after settling between Ali’s thighs, Ashlyn lazily runs her tongue over Ali’s clit and the taste alone makes Ashlyn moan with the brunette under her tongue. One of Ali’s hands flies up to the headboard, while the other remains tangled in Ashlyn’s hair.

Ali is loud and Ashlyn is thankful that most of their teammates are still out at the club, because there’s no way the rooms closest to them can’t hear the many expletives Ali is throwing out there. Her breathing is heavy and Ashlyn can feel the way her body is responding, so she slides one finger inside her, making Ali’s movements even more wild against her. She bucks her hips against Ashlyn’s hand and tongue and lets out a few whimpers before attempting at a coherent sentence.

“I’m so close, Ash. Don’t stop.” Ashlyn does as she’s told and curls another finger up into Ali and continues to flick her tongue against her clit. She can feel Ali tighten around her fingers and continues her movements as Ali rides out her orgasm. After a moment, Ali’s breathing and body settles and Ashlyn moves back up her body. Ali slams her lips against the blonde and immediately reverses the situation, pinning Ashlyn down to the bed. “That was so fucking good, baby.” She whispers while her lips brush against Ashlyn’s ear and a combination of her body pressed up against her and the nickname sends a wave through Ashlyn’s body. “I’d really love to make you come now, if that’s okay with you.” Ashlyn simply nods, knowing words won’t come easy.

Ali wastes no time working Ashlyn up. She pulls Ashlyn’s underwear off and immediately fills her with two fingers, curling them up at once. She presses their lips together, relishing in the feeling of Ashlyn’s moans vibrating against her own lips.

“Alex, fuck that feels so good.” Ashlyn says as Ali leaves a trail of kisses down Ashlyn’s neck. She can feel the defender smirk against her collarbone before she finally wraps her lips around Ashlyn’s nipple and flicks her tongue against it. Ashlyn pushes Ali down, much like Ali did to Ashlyn, but Ali releases her nipple and pulls back, looking up at her.

“Tell me what you want.” Ali orders.

“Your tongue.” Ashlyn whimpers.

“I told you I would save the begging for later.” Ali smirks before slowly moving down the rest of Ashlyn’s body. “What do you want with my tongue, Ashlyn?” Ali kisses down Ashlyn’s thigh, paying special attention to the tattooed skin.

“Please.” Ashlyn groans. Having never been this far gone before, with anyone, Ashlyn doesn’t even care how she sounds, begging Ali for what she wants. “I need you,” is all it takes before Ali buries her face in between Ashlyn’s thighs with her tongue firmly against Ashlyn’s clit. She stays like this for some time, drawing patterns against Ashlyn’s most sensitive area. Before Ashlyn can attempt to prolong the feeling, her body ripples through the most intense orgasm she’s ever had. Her body is still shaking as Ali runs her tongue up the length of Ashlyn’s abs and even that sends shocks through her system.

They kiss lazily for some time, not wanting the night to end, but feeling sleep take over their bodies quickly.

“You called me Alex.” Ali finally says as she wraps herself around Ashlyn’s side, face buried deep into her neck.

“I did.” Ashlyn nods, wrapping her arms around the brunette, hoping she didn’t cross a line; knowing there were probably already enough lines crossed for one night.

“I liked it.” Ali admits. _I like you,_ Ashlyn wants to say, but decides against it and remains silent. Just when she thinks Ali has fallen asleep by the way her breathing has steadied, she speaks up again. “I think I like you.” She must say this thinking Ashlyn is asleep because she curls further into Ashlyn’s side and doesn’t seem to expect any kind of response. After a split second, Ashlyn decides to give Ali a response, even if she’s not asking for one.

“I like you, Alex.” Ashlyn confesses just above a whisper and she can feel Ali’s lips curl up into a smile against her neck. The two hold onto each other tighter and finally sleep becomes too much to fight off as they drift off, sated and exhausted, but knowing neither would have it any other way.


End file.
